I looked out at the mountains from our vantage point at the Minaret Vista parking lot and furrowed my brow. The mountains, which should have been clear and crisp from our distance appeared vaguely through a smoky haze. The Lions Wildfire that was sparked by a rogue lightning strike on June 1 was only partially contained and the smell of smoke was overwhelming.
Read MoreHavasupai has been on my "must-visit" list for a couple of years now. In 2016 I missed out on the very short window of reserving permits so the hike was, unfortunately, out of the running for that year. However, I was determined to make it to Havasupai in 2017 so on February 1, when permits are available for reservation, I was on the phone and dialing the office.
Read MorePlanning a trip for late fall can be tricky as the weather is completely unpredictable in most locations. In late November the Grand Canyon can see snow and ice or it can see warm, sunny days that call for shorts and a t-shirt.
Read MoreI stared up at the ceiling of my tent and watched as a single water drop fell onto my sleeping bag. I immediately brushed it off but knew more drops were inevitable. It was the sixth day of my eight day trek through the wilderness of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Alaska's notorious weather finally caught up to us.
Read MoreFinally we were there: Lago di Braies. It was the starting point of our 120km trek through the Dolomites in northern Italy. 6 months of anticipation, 4 months of Italian lessons on Duo Lingo, 2 lengthy plane rides, and 3 bus rides lead up to this point and everything suddenly felt surreal.
Read MoreThe past two years Alex and I have taken the long Thanksgiving weekend to #optoutside and spend some quality time in the national parks. Finding places to go in November that aren't too cold or too snowy can be a challenge but we've found that Utah is a pretty good bet. Last year we hiked in Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks, but this year I wanted something a little more remote.
Read MoreOn my trip through Gates of the Arctic I had the opportunity to try packrafting for the first time. In fact, one of the reasons I went with this Gates of the Arctic guided trip over others was because of the two day packrafting extension.
Read MoreThe third day of our trip we ventured up into the valley directly below The Maidens. East and West Maiden are massive granite slabs that shoot up from the valley floor and tower over the creek below. They are so massive that from base camp they looked as if they were a short leisurely hike away but it took us half an hour just to reach their base.
Read MoreI went to Great Sand Dunes National Park on a whim. I was thisclose to not going but am so glad I did.
Read More
